Sinkhole opens in Texas to reveal 170-foot-long cave

Cambria Drive will remain closed for several weeks while Williamson County and TCEQ staff determine the most appropriate way to repair a sinkhole that opens to a cave. (Photo: Austin American-Statesman)

Cambria Drive will remain closed for several weeks while Williamson County and TCEQ staff determine the most appropriate way to repair a sinkhole that opens to a cave. (Photo: Austin American-Statesman)

Williamson County officials and environmental consultants were busy exploring a 170-foot-long cave found after a portion of a residential street collapsed earlier this week.

The cave stretches eastward from the site of a sinkhole on Cambria Drive, located in a neighborhood in the Brushy Creek area. The height at some points of the cave reaches 22 feet, with an average height of 10 to 15 feet, according to a county news release.

The county said structural engineers will explore the site to help determine the cave's stability and how best to repair the sinkhole. Cambria Drive will remain closed for several weeks as those assessments and repairs take place.

The Brushy Creek area and Cedar Park are host to several caves, including a cave near the Brushy Creek greenbelt that is home to bats.